這個週末因為感冒取消了所有的課。我是一個不喜歡改變計畫的人，取消要上的課，代表的不只是損失收入，還要聯絡家長想補課或費用挪到下個月等種種瑣事。所以取消課，等於就是麻煩。

I had to cancel all the classes this weekend due to the flu. I don’t like to change plans; in addition to the loss of income, canceling classes requires coordinating with students and parents, rescheduling lessons, refunds, use the credit for next months lessons, and so on, and so on. Therefore, canceling classes amounts to an administrative nightmare.

身體的生病是一種折磨，而我的一歲小孩也同時生病，使得生活更為疲備。自己難受還要照顧一個生病的幼童，其中的難處，只有自己當父母的人才能了解。

Physical illness is a kind of torture. On top of that, my one-year-old boy also got sick, making it even more tiresome. Taking care a sick child while being sick myself is the kind of difficulty only parents can understand.

這段流行感冒的季節，很多的學生生病了還是跑來上課，有的咳嗽很厲害，有的聲音都變了，有的還直打噴嚏。原本以為只要勤洗手，多喝水，應該沒事，但終究敵不過病毒的侵擾。雖然我嫁的這位免疫學＂博士專家＂說：「偶爾讓身體的免疫系統要跟病毒打打仗，才不會閒著沒事做，自己攻擊自己的器官。」在受罪的時候聽了這種理論，也只有自我安慰或幽默一下，凡事都有好的一面。

The flu season has been one of the worst in decades according to CDC. Many of my students are sick: some sneezing continuously, some coughing severely, and some even lost their voices. With a few cases, I might be able to fend off the virus by regular hand washing, exercise and drinking plenty of fluid. At the end, all the precautions were no match for the virus. My Dr. Immunology husband says: “occasional infections may be beneficial; it keeps your immune system busy fighting foreign objects and reduce the chance of autoimmune responses.” Listening to this “theory” while suffering the flu symptoms, the only comforts I can find is my sense of humor and there is a bright side to everything!

這次教訓之後，真是要呼籲大家，生病了就＂好好在家休息＂吧！一方面以公德心的角度來講，不要把病毒＂分享＂給別人，另一方面自己有充分休息，也恢復得快，勉強來上課既不能專心，效果也不如平常。對學生來說因為生病不能上課，只是錯過一堂音樂課，對我來說，生病要陪上整個禮拜，甚至半個月的收入和折磨，如果弄得我的幼兒也加入，一折疼下來可能要一個月。親愛的家長們！請有點同情心，老師也是人啊！

Let this be a lesson! I’d like to ask everyone to stay home and rest when sick. From the “civic-minded” & public health perspective, don’t “share” the virus with others, and from the “selfish” perspective, you will recover faster if you get plenty of rest. When students come to the classes sick, they can’t pay attention, they don’t learn effectively, and they are suffering. If the students choose to stay home, they just have to reschedule the lesson for another time. When I get sick, classes have to be canceled for an entire week, if not more. This affects not only me, my family; it affects all my other students as well. One thing about self-employment is that there are no sick leaves, so the consequences is physical, mental and financial. Dear parents, have a little compassion, teacher are people, too!  😉